Customer Reviews

Dinosaur (Region 2)

5 star:		(117)
4 star:		(60)
3 star:		(28)
2 star:		(20)
1 star:		(42)

 

 

I thought a lot about this review.

I'm an animation buff, so I can well say that this film received the maximum rank on animation - the amount of details and thought that was put into every movement and shot is admirable, and the result shows. It is certain that the animators did an excellent job - even went down to details such as having the muscles of the dinosaurs vibrate when the foot hits the floor. Sometimes I actually forgot that this was an animation movie, and mistook it for a National Geographic feature.

The story, on the other hand, is rather disappointing. It seems like the development process stopped after the story became reasonable. The characters are only skin-deep, and it is frustrating for someone who had already seen a couple of movies before that this one brings nothing new to the screen. It's sad to notice so many 'deja vu's while watching, seeing so many thing that you have already seen before, especially that the main character - Aladar - is an orphan dinosaur raised by monkeys, carries a close resemblance to Disney's previous feature, Tarzan.

Two thumbs up for the music - it really hits the spot. The composer captured every moment so naturally that it fits like a glove. Nothing I say can convey the impression, so you might as well see it for yourself.

All in all, an amazing animation feature with a weak plot. This film - in itself - receives 4 stars from me, although if I had calculated my impression on the Collector's edition, I would have definitely lowered it to 3. It simply wasn't worth the extra money I added. The second DVD contains very little material, and I really expected more from a highly documented production such as this one to include more material. People purchase this item to get more information about the animation process, and I really feel like I wanted more. I really think that I should have bought the regular edition and saved some cash.

I am not sure what critics were expecting when they shot this movie down. It is a fun and exciting adventure for children and adults alike. It may be a little too scary for children under 6, so be warned. Let's get one thing straight, folks. Dinosaur is a movie for CHILDREN. So, don't go in expecting to see the second coming of Jurassic Park. The movie does offer brilliant CGI special effects and breathtaking scenery. I like the story for kids because it stresses teamwork and the value of every individual. The lead character, an Iguanadon named Aladar, is very likeable and I found myself rooting for him time and again. Was the movie expensive? Yes. Is it one of Disney's best ever? No. BUT, it is fun and exciting. There are SO many movies out there for adults. This one is a winner for kids. Don't cheat your kids out of enjoying it because they will.

I had read of problems with the Collector Edition not playing on some DVD players, but the standard edition won't play on my Toshiba SD-2109. This is the only DVD that I haven't been able to play on this player. It can't get past the loading function. Disney is quickly earning a reputation for shoddy quality control, between Dinosaur and the faulty surround sountrack mastering on the standard edition of Tarzan (the left front channel sound was recorded on the left rear channel as well as the left front channel).

"Dinosaur" is a fine film from the folks at Disney. Like "Hercules," the story isn't moving or too impressive, but the film is fun to watch and has some brilliant moments in it. Many people have bashed the film for being too violent, but the PG rating does seem fair. I agree that kids under the age of five shouldn't see this movie without some serious adult supervision, but at the same time, children do need to know about death...even if it's violent. The Carnotaur sequences involve quite a bit of violence, but these are dinosaurs! Dinosaurs ate each other in reality. Don't knock this movie for that reason. Here's a concept: Watch the movie with your kids(you won't be bored) and then explain to them that death and violence was a very real part of daily life for dinosaurs. It may take your children a little time to cope with this information, but sometimes the truth hurts. If your child is under the age of five, you may want to skip certain sequences in the movie because of the violence. My daughter watched this movie, but I always managed to skip through the violent parts for one reason: she's two years old. She loves this movie. When she gets old enough to understand that things die, I'll let her see the violent sequences in this film.

For adults, I found this movie very entertaining. As in other reviews, I agree that the visuals are stunning. The film is brilliantly animated and does use some real scenery to blend in with the CGI graphics. The differences in the two are almost seamless. The lemurs provide both comic relief and solid wisdom in this flick.

If for no other reason, buy this movie for it's artistic value, but the story is a good one and the characters are very believable. It's a good show, but I cannot help but reiterate the importance of watching this show with young kids in order to explain some of the things that occur in it.

Don't let negative reviews put you off. I have four children, and the three who are above the age of two loved this movie. They didn't cry or scream. The graphic are breathtaking. The story isn't really anything terribly original, but then, what Disney story is? They all have basically the same theme and this film is no more violent than The Lion King (probably Disney's best modern effort", the violence is simple done with computer graphics instead of traditional animation.

Following in the footsteps of such animated classics as "Toy Story", "Dinosaur" continues Walt Disney's tradition of exciting and fun computer-animated films.

Aladar (D.B. Sweeney) is a young Iguanodon who joins a group of lemurs on an island after surviving a T-Rex attack and being scooped up by a Pterodactyl. However, a meteor shower destroys their island home, forcing Aladar and the lemurs back to land and other dinosaurs. Soon, the group encounters a large herd of dinosaurs travelling towards the nesting grounds, which contain fertile land, along with plenty of food and water.

Aladar and the lemurs decide to join the herd, but they soon meet Kron, a fearsome dinosaur who is the so-called leader of the herd. Many of the other dinosaurs complain that Kron pushes them too hard and they cannot keep up. They are befriended by Baylene, a no-nonsense Brachiosaur and Eema, a feisty Styrachosaur, but Aladar becomes enamored with Neera, a female Iguanodon who happens to be Kron's sister. Needless to say, there are some tense moments between Aladar, Neera, and Kron. Neera is not interested in Aladar at first, but as their journey continues, she begins to like him more and more.

Kron fears that Aladar is trying to take his place as leader of the herd, so they have many confrontations along the way. Also, large Carnators have been tracking the herd. Will they reach the nesting grounds before the Carnators get them? Will Neera realize how much Aladar cares for her?

This is a good movie for both children and adults. My 5 and 3 year old children like this movie very much, and they ask to watch it frequently. Although there are some "scary" parts, such as the meteor shower and the battles with the Carnators, overall, it is still appropriate for young children. The animation in the movie is very good. The dinosaurs look very life-like, and the scenery is extremely vivid. The story is well-conceived, as well. The length of the movie is just right to hold a child's attention for the entire film, too. I recommend this movie for parents and children alike. The children will enjoy all of the fascinating dinosaurs, while the parents will be able to spend some quality time with their kids.

Ever hear of a movie "Land Before Time", about a bunch of dinosaurs (children) looking for the "Great Valley"? Well, then you've pretty much seen this movie. Yes, the story is slightly different (the dino's are older) but it more or less follows the same plot line, even down the the core group of friends.

Aside from this fact, it is still a compelling story. Great visuals, and sound effects, endearing characters. A timeless story for young and old.

I have tried two different copies of this disc. Both have failed to play in my Toshiba SD-3109 and the DVD player in my computer (a Samsung OEM, I think).

I would advise everyone to buy another movie rather than gamble on it working in their player.

I popped this dvd into my new Harman Karman DVD-5, and the movie played for less than a minute before it skipped ahead a few seconds, then it shipped to the next chapter. The picture would then occasionally stutter and pixilate. Needless to say my two children who were waiting for me to come home from work so that we could watch it together were very disappointed.

The local Disney Store has a memo up saying that Buena Vista realizes that there are compatibility problems with this DVD.

So the one star rating refers to the poor format of the DVD pressing, not the movie content.

A partial list of affected DVD players based on Deja News postings:

ATI AIW128, JVC 501K, Panasonic A120 A110, Pioneer 525 414, Proscan PS8680Z, RCA 5520P, Sony 570D 550 S7000 (using ROMS older than 2.x), Toshiba SD3205 SD1200, Harman Kardon DVD-5.

Your Mileage May Vary, Trev

I purchased this movie when it released based on the trailer I saw in the theatre (which accentuated the visual aspects of the movie). I was not let down in that regard, the blend of real world locations and computer animation is seamless and beautiful. What left me cold was the story. The characters are interesting (such as the Brontosaurus and Triceritops) but the story all to often falls into cheezy pop-culture references. It almost seems as if Disney spent all their time on the visuals and NO time developing a compelling story. You may be thinking "Yeah, but it's a Disney movie..." but all of the adult overtones that make other Disney movies soooo enjoyable for grownups(as seen in Toy Story 1&2, Lion King, etc.) are missing in Dinosaur. Being a huge fan of Disney and Disney movies for this reason (I am male, 23 no kids, by the way) I was dissapointed.

Now, that doesn't mean that kids won't love it. Children are pretty forgiving of cheesy stories, so they will definately enjoy it. The problem will come when the kids want to watch Dinosaur over and over again (I'm having flashbacks of my little sister watching "Little Mermaid" every day for SIX MONTHS... I can still sing along to every song in that movie..). The first viewing will be entertaining for adults, but after three times, you'll be ready to "lose" this DVD accidently.